Kyouko Taisei
Kyouko Taisei (強硬体制, lit; Unyielding Order) is a samurai who hails from the Land of Iron and is the mother of Kiritsu Taisei. One of the few female samurai that consist of the Land of Iron's forces, Kyouko is perhaps one of the best. She has never been defeated in sword to sword combat and her other skills in combat benefit her perfectly, all synced together with her kenjutsu. Like her son, she is deaf, something Kiritsu inherited from her. She is often seen alongside Hangaku, an old friend of hers and a trustworthy ally. Background Kyouko was born in the Land of Iron. At the age of six, she was trained by her father in the art of kenjutsu. Every day, she seemed to surpass her father's training on the first go, impressing him to great lengths. He felt she was destined to become one of the best the Land of Iron had to offer. When she turned fourteen, her kenjutsu was already at its peak and she was defeating masters twice her age and even older than that. There was only one she couldn't beat; Her future husband, Hataraki Taisei. They always fought to a stalemate, never managing to beat either one in combat. Their mutual skills got them close together until they were married four years later. After their first four years of marriage, Kyouko gave birth to Tokihakiri Taisei, who would end up becoming a Shogun later in life, and Kiritsu Taisei a year later, the next Son of the Crescent Samurai. Alongside Hataraki, she helped train Kiritsu in his kenjutsu and also created a special cloak imbued with a unique seal; The Crest of the Taisei Clan. This crest awakens when exposed to powerful chakra, as demonstrated by her when she created the Dance of the Seraph. She was the one who recommended Kiritsu undertake the Chunin Exams to meet other warriors out there and expand his abilities. Appearance Kyouko has been described as undeniably beautiful. Upon her face is a marking across her nose, a signature marking of her particular clan. Her eyes show nothing but absolute kindness, adorned with a beautiful shade of gold, the very eyes Kiritsu inherited. Her hair is long, draped down to her back and colored with a hue of greenish blue with green being more dominant. Below the neck, she wears a simple hakama with torn sleeves, but otherwise fully intact. She is fairly tall and has a well built physique. She often wears the skull of a ram upon her head, a keepsake of her clan. Personality Kyouko has been considered indescribably kind to those around her. She is always seen with a positive outlook upon her and her outgoing personality helps put fellow samurai at ease. She's trustworthy, someone anyone can approach if they wish to talk about something. Despite being deaf, she can hear what people say by the vibrations their voice give off, allowing her to listen in without any difficulty. Abilities Hailed as one of the greatest female samurai in the Land of Iron, Kyouko's skills are second only to her lifetime friend, Hangaku. In kenjutsu, very few can match her skills for any period of time before she ends up defeating them in the long run. Kenjutsu Having been trained all her life with the sword, Kyouko's skills in kenjutsu are incredible. Her movements are graceful, like the gentle steps of a cat. Every step hides her true attacks, as her following patterns seem to not follow her movements, something that throws off most opponents. What also throws her opponents off is her ambidextrous stance. With every swing of the sword, her sword is constantly changing hands, making defense against her incredibly difficult as she forces her opponent to adjust, something most kenjutsu users are not comfortable doing. Taijutsu Complimenting her kenjutsu is her taijutsu. With every swing of the sword, she can open her opponent up for a solid kick or sharp elbow. With her raw, tremendous strength, she can send most opponents flying back with a well placed kick, dealing large amounts of damage to them. By defending with her sword, her taijutsu is difficult to counter against, especially when synced with her ambidextrous fighting stance, which is seen also in her taijutsu. All in all, she is dangerous both with and without her sword. Chakra Flow and Control Kyouko possesses near perfect control over her chakra, capable of flowing it inward and outward at will. By focusing her chakra in her body, she can allow it to build up before releasing it in a beautiful glow of light, granting her incredible increases to her speed and reflexes, along with the addition of flight. By focusing chakra into her hands and feet, she can deliver crushing bursts that deal tremendous amounts of damage against her opponents, leaving them wide open and weakened by her assault. When flowed into her blade, Kyouko can unleash waves of chakra that cut through virtually anything, even her opponent's sword, capable of slicing a blade clean in half with a well timed parry.